Virus Clinic Information

Virus Information - OIT Virus Clinic

Tech Clinic services are offered by appointment only to students, faculty, and staff with personal computers who are currently members of Montclair State University. Appointments are made on a first-come, first-serve basis. Scheduled times are two hour blocks, and you must be able to stay for at least two hours from the start of your appointment. You will also be required to be present with your computer for the entire duration of the scheduled time. During an appointment you must be present at ALL times with your machine.

Please bring all necessary equipment with your computer such as power cables and other required adapters. The only computers we service are those directly affected by our Network. Hardware related issues such as Operating System Troubleshooting and Driver Support are unsupported by us. Our trained Help Desk technicians can work hands-on with your computer to troubleshoot issues such as: • Virus and Spyware Issues • Internet Settings and Proxy Troubleshooting • Campus Network Registration for Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7 and Mac OSX which includes Sophos Anti-Virus Installation and Service Pack Installation

What to do before considering a network appointment:

If your computer has failed to register onto the network, here are a few troubleshooting steps you can take:

1. Make sure you have a connection, either wired or wireless (MSU-WiFi, MSU-Wireless, or MSU-Preferred). 2. There is a message stating why you have failed registration indicating why your machine was not accepted. Here are the three most common reasons for failing registration: a. Computer does not have a valid Anti-virus installed. i. Go to http://oit.montclair.edu/software and when prompted for credentials, enter your NetID and password. ii. Download Sophos Anti-virus for your Mac or PC. iii. Run and install the program and make sure the virus definitions are updated. b. Computer does not have valid Anti-virus definitions. i. If you have downloaded Sophos, you can update the virus definitions by right clicking on the blue shield when it shows up in the bottom corner of the screen and then left click on update now. For Macs: The shield will show up at the top right corner of your screen. c. Computer Service Pack is out of date. i. If you have failed for this reason, your security package on your computer has not been recently updated. You will need to set up an appointment so that we may update your system. Please note that this can take anywhere from 2 hours to 4 hours. 3. Attempt to register your computer again. If it registers saying that your computer has met the requirements, you will need to wait a couple of minutes for our network to process your computer. 4. If you are receiving an “Isolation Error” you may need to restart your machine or refresh the network connection. If this is still not resolving the issue, please contact the Technology Solutions Center at 973-655-7971 (ext.1).

What to do before considering a virus appointment:

If you feel that your Windows computer is infected or running slow, first start by cleaning up your Cookies and Temporary Internet Files.

To begin the process of cleaning up your computer, you must boot your computer into Safe Mode with Networking by continuously pressing the F8 key until a screen comes up that gives you the option to go into safe mode.

Use the arrow keys to highlight Safe Mode with Networking Enter Yes to continue working in safe mode.

Once in Safe Mode with Networking, open up the control panel and find Internet Settings or Internet Options. In the General Tab under Browsing history go to Delete. In Windows XP, hit the Delete All and make sure Delete files and settings stored by addons. In Windows 7, make sure that everything is checked on such as Temporary Internet Files, Cookies, History, Download History, Form data, Passwords, ActiveX Filtering and Tracking Protection data then hit Delete. If this is still not resolving the issue, make sure you have attempted a virus scan with your current anti-virus software before coming in for an appointment.

If you are unable to complete the anti-virus scan due to malicious activity on the machine, then please note that when you schedule an appointment. You will be required to sign this work waiver agreement when you visit the Help Desk for a virus clinic appoitnment: I understand that due to the nature of some virus codes, attempted removal of the virus could potentially cause permanent damage or deletion of system files or my personal document files. I acknowledge that OIT cannot be held responsible for any data loss that may occur as a result of the virus removal process.

In exchange for this waiver of liability, OIT agrees to assist with the removal of viruses from my desktop or laptop PC, and to configure the computer for safe operation on Montclair State University’s network. Additional steps in that regard may include installation of any relevant Microsoft Windows OS patches and installation of the Sophos AntiVirus software if suitable anti-virus software is not already on the machine. In addition, OIT will also ensure that both Windows OS patches and Sophos AntiVirus are scheduled for automatic updates. I fully understand that this service is only offered for resolving virus related problems. I also understand that OIT is providing best effort technical support and extends no guarantee of a successful repair of my operating system. If a member of the OIT staff determines that my computer requires additional technical services, I understand that I will be responsible for pursuing additional support through the original equipment manufacturer or third party support vendor of my choice.

I understand that Montclair State University will not provide any property insurance coverage for my personal property and any necessary repairs will be at my expense. By granting OIT the permission to work on my computer I understand that it may void any existing warranties.*Note a new agreement must be signed each time you visit the virus clinic Virus Clinic -Work Waiver Agreement

In order to set up a virus appointment, you must meet the following requirements:

Your computer must be able to boot up in to the operating system.

You must be a current MSU student or faculty/staff member with a computer that is registered on the MSU network.

You must be able to stay with the Help Desk technician for a minimum of 2 hours to a maximum of 4 hours. We are unable to service computers without the user present.

We are unable to support home computers.

We are unable to accept walk-in appointments. You must contact the University Helpdesk at 973-655-7971 to schedule an appointment.

The University Help Desk Technician will remove, at your discretion, software that may be outdated (e.g. Anti-virus) and that thus, may conflict with any current programs installed (i.e. Sophos).

The University Help Desk Technician may recommend to you that it is necessary to also remove any possible applications or folders that appear to disrupt the general security of the computer due to virus related issues.